This is our first week of reading T.O.V., and it’s been emotional. There has been whining as well as expressions of awe. I’m not sure if any of you have had a chance to buy the book and crack it open, but if not be forewarned: you are about to find yourself in a deluge. I mean that the book opens with a thunderstorm the likes of which you’ve never read before, and with heavy—not to say sodden—prose. Don’t be afraid: the book dries out, the prose lightens, the work required to digest each sentence (I had to read every line of the first chapter about four times) lessens.

What I’ll say about these first pages, though, is that they command attention—the sort of attention that was required of readers in the olden days, when reading meant reading “a book.” If you are worried that your ability to concentrate is lessening with each click of the mouse or flick of the finger across your touch screen, then T.O.V. provides an antidote.

And the work isn’t in vain: Hazzard has much to teach, both in terms of her message and her craft. The thoughtfulness with which each word was obviously chosen makes me ashamed. It’s encouraged me to write at least one sentence every day that I can be proud of (no, today’s sentence cannot be found in this post).

Have you started reading yet? We’d love to hear your initial thoughts.